I'll mention one more aspect of this story.
After I got it running, it faultered and backfired for a while. For a while I thought it wasn't running on all four cylinders.
I frowned at its halting, stuttering exhaust note.
"Sounds like a stinking Harley," I told my wife. "It's an outrage!"
She knew I was goading her. There's a bit of a good-natured ribbing going on between me -- I proudly ride Honda -- and my wife, who considers riding a Honda a necessary evil, but deep down bleeds black and orange.
She smiled back, and because the children were in the room chose to mouth these words to me (rather than give them voice) -- "Bite me!"
I laughed!
Eventually, I futzed around with the choke and idle speed, got the bike warmed up, and it smoothed out. I don't know if it was choking on the last bit of that old crappy gas, or what, but once it warmed up and ran for about five minutes it was fine.
if the idle jets are a little stopped up it can lead to the symptoms you mention; starting on less than all four cylinders and then gradually pick up on the missing cylinders. My '85 Magna 700 did that until I ran a little Techron in the tank and now it starts and hits immediately on all cylinders every time and idles smoothly right away.
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